


Breaking The Ice

by Fearlesskiki



Series: Simi Love Story [1]
Category: Formula 1 RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Crushes, Desperate Seb, Friendship/Love, Gen, Kimi is cool without even trying, Seb is still a fetus, Timeline in 2007
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-05-29 05:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6361300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearlesskiki/pseuds/Fearlesskiki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Give up, Seb!"</p><p>That is what the world tells him. But Sebastian isn't going to back out. He is going to make the man whom everyone calls 'Iceman' laugh like there's no tomorrow.</p><p>The only problem is how he is going to do it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nothing Is Impossible

It started off with a dare. A dare that Sebastian made with his mechanics. A dare that everyone believes it is unachievable. A dare that one of Sebastian's mechanics Danny sets him up to fail. But despite everyone is against him, the young driver is not going to give up. He genuinely believes that if he puts his efforts on to something, he will succeed in the end.

 

It was a Friday when the guys in the garage were talking about a certain driver. A certain driver called Kimi Räikkönen, which is the newly signed Ferrari driver. The one they called 'The Iceman'. He was called the Iceman because of his cold stone personality off and on the track. He doesn't smile in interviews nor when speaking with other drivers. There are rumours circulating around the paddock that Kimi has no emotions. Not even during sex with his wife. No wonder now she is his ex now. The guys in the Toro Rosso pit crew were laughing about how Kimi wouldn't smile even if the Ferrari driver wins the championship when Sebastian walked into the room. The young driver interrupted them and defended the Ferrari driver.

 

"Oh, come on! Everybody smiles." said the young driver.

 

"Everybody smiles except Kimi. No one has seen him smile and that's a fact," said Thomas, one of the mechanics.

 

"Well, he probably hasn't heard of a good joke. I mean, if he gets to know me, he will definitely laugh so hard that he'll cry." Sebastian shot back. 

 

The mechanics looked at each other and then started to burst into laughter. The mechanics believed that Kimi is so numb in everything that it's impossible for the Ferrari driver to crack a smile. Sebastian stared at his mechanics with his arms crossed, slightly annoyed with the reception he got. It was somewhat an insult to him, as the entertainer of the team. He believes firmly that he is capable of making everyone smile from young to old, male or female. He believes he could make Kimi smile because the Ferrari driver is human after all.

 

"Oh Seb, that's the best joke you've ever made." said Danny, another Toro Rosso mechanic.

 

Sebastian responded with a rather confident look, "Well, it's not a joke. I do mean it when I said I could make Kimi laugh." 

 

"Oh yeah? Prove it!" Danny shot back.

 

"I will," Sebastian responded with a lopsided smile.

 

And so, Sebastian made a vow to prove Kimi could smile. He was given two weeks to prove his mechanics wrong. The mechanics even made a bet with him to make this more exciting. The loser will need to run around the streets in a dress. Apart from 2 crew members that don't gamble, everybody else was betting against Sebastian because nobody believed he could make Kimi smile. They gave sneaky grins to Sebastian and wait for the young driver to fail. Sebastian, on the other hand, is very confident in himself. He even asks the mechanics to treat him dinner on top of the bet. The mechanics agreed without a doubt. 

 

Sebastian likes to think he has an upper hand. He has a few Finnish friends. In fact, his trainer Tommi is a Finn. Sebastian himself likes Finns very much. He thinks Finns are really cool and peculiar people. There is something special about Finns. They certainly aren't social butterflies like Spaniards or Brazilians. On the first encounter, Finns are genuinely quiet and shy people but they are modest and reliable. Once you get to know a Finn, they are actually quite talkative and like to joke around. Finns aren't small talkers. They enjoy quiet moments. And if they like you, they will tell you in a mischievous way. And on top of that, Finns are honest people, which fits with Sebastian because Germans are like that too. 

 

But getting close to Kimi might not be that easy. They know each other's existence but Kimi doesn't really know him as a person yet. They greeted each other before the matches, but they never get to chat much. It's only those hello goodbye acquaintance. Kimi is one of the big boys in F1 while Sebastian is still fairly new to the game. They have eight years gap between them. Kimi is Finnish while Sebastian is German. But those aren't the biggest problems. The biggest obstacle is Kimi's ice-cool attitude. The Ferrari driver is called Iceman for a reason. He doesn't talk much and doesn't show any emotions. Sometimes, he looks like a grumpy old man that doesn't bother about anyone or anything. It isn't an easy task and Sebastian needs to find a way to break this ice.

 

Sebastian approaches the Kimi the next day with a pair of blue sunglasses in the player's lounge. He grabs a seat beside the Finn, pretends to be cool. He looks closely at the Finnish driver behind his sunglasses. He notices Kimi is wearing a similar shape of red sunglasses. Hmm... They actually have the same fashion sense. Maybe he could tackle with a fashion topic. The German flashes a smile and says, "Cool shades."

 

"Thank you," Kimi replies in a monotone. An awkward silence creeps in and it makes Sebastian feels uncomfortable. A normal person would compliment back but not Kimi. The Finn just stay silent and takes a sip of water from his bottle, not bothering to chat with the German. Sebastian sighs. He should have known that Kimi wouldn't continue the topic. He doesn't even know why he puts so much hope on the Finn in the first place. 

 

The young driver scans through the Ferrari driver and notices Kimi is wearing a watch. He grins and points the watch, "Nice watch. Is that the Tag Heuer Carrera?"

 

"Yup," Kimi replies.

 

Sebastian moves a bit closer to Kimi, trying to keep the conversation going. "So, why this watch?"

 

"To tell the time," Kimi replies.

 

Sebastian starts to giggle uncontrollably and shakes his head. The answer Kimi gave is very blunt that it's so funny to him. And Kimi said it with without any expression makes it better. He likes Kimi. He thinks Kimi is unique. The Finn just stares at him without uttering anything. When Sebastian realises it, he stops giggling and looks away. The German squints his eyes and curses in his heart, thinking that he has probably blown his chances. He knows he has to divert the topic to something else. The young driver quickly glances around and spots a bunch of grid girls so he points to that direction.

 

"Look! Grid girls!" he shouts.

 

Kimi looks to the said direction without saying anything. At the mean time, Sebastian begins to sweat. The weather isn't that hot but he feels like he is going to melt. His heartbeat rises and his hands are trembling. He didn't remember the last time he feels like this. He is actually struggling to start a new conversation. Sebastian has never been so nervous in his whole life. At least, not when talking to people. He is always the one that able to come out with new topics but now, nothing comes to his mind. When he turns his head to Kimi, the Ferrari driver has gone back to his team. 

 

"Hey Seb!" a voice calls out his name. He could hear laughing sounds from the same direction. The German already knew who is it without looking. It is one of his mechanics, Danny. The mechanic continues to tease him, "Forget it, Seb. Just admit it. You can't make him smile."

 

Sebastian winces his eyes and curls his fingers into balls. He opens his eyes and turns around to Danny. He masks his failure with a grin and says, "I'm just testing him." 

 

The German goes back to his team and gets ready for the qualifying. He gets 6th place today, which is fairly good for a newcomer. After the race, Sebastian tries to approach Kimi again but the Finn is surrounded by a bunch of reporters. He waits for the interview session to end and tries his luck again but he is stopped by his race engineer Riccardo. Riccardo informs him that they are going to have a meeting. Sebastian pleads his race engineer to give him a few minutes but Riccardo refuses. The engineer drags the young driver back to the paddock for the longest meeting that Sebastian had. The young driver isn't paying any attention to the meeting. He only has Kimi on his mind. He is trying to figure out how to get the Finn interested in him.

 

Sebastian tries his luck again on Sunday. He sprints to Kimi's direction as soon as he spots the Ferrari driver. But Heikki Kovalainen is a step ahead of him. Heikki and Kimi chat among themselves in Finnish. Sebastian has never seen Kimi so talkative before. Maybe because the Ferrari driver is more comfortable conversing in Finnish. The German wants to mix around with the Finns, but unable to find a right moment. He understands a little Finnish, but the two Finns are talking too fast for him to catch up with their conversation. And with Kimi's monotone voice, makes it harder to understand. When Kimi utters 'Paskapuhetta', which is bullshit in Finnish, Sebastian pretends to understand the whole conversation and laughs out loud. Both Kimi and Heikki stop talking and stare at the German with perplexed looks. Heikki even raises his eyebrows. When Sebastian realises he screw up again, he quickly distracts the Finns.

 

"Look! Grid girls!"

 

The two Finns look at the said direction and Sebastian could hear laughing sounds nearby. He turns around and he could see Danny waving a red dress at him. His mechanic is obviously there to fuel up his anger. Even the seagulls that passes by seem to laugh ay him. But the young driver is not going to give up just like that. It is not about wearing a dress. It is about the winning pride. As a race driver, winning has always been important to Sebastian. No matter in competitions or just casual games, Sebastian wants to win every time. He is not going to let this little fail attempt drag him down. He still has 12 and a half more days to prove. He could do this. The German sticks his tongue out to his mechanic as a response.

 

The day went better for Kimi as the Finn got 1st place in that race. Sebastian looks on to Kimi as the Ferrari driver lifts the trophy at the podium. The two other podium finishers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton open up champagne and start spraying each other with champagne. Kimi, on the other hand, drinks the champagne himself. It sparks an idea to Sebastian. Alcohol. Right. The German smiles mischievously. Every manly problem can be solved with drinking. Why hasn't he thought of it before? And it's a known fact that Kimi loves drinking. This is the ultimate bullseye. Sebastian sprints to the player's lounge with a smile plastered on his face, patiently wait for Kimi. When the Finn arrives, Sebastian casually invites him for a drink at a nearby pub. Kimi's eyes turn big and his green eyes shine brightly to the German, with his mouth hanging wide. 

 

"Drink?" the Finn utters.

 

"Yeah. You and me, go out for a drink." Sebastian replies. Kimi nods as a response and it's a date. They agree to meet in the pub at 9. Sebastian wastes no time and research for the Finn's background. He takes out his phone and starts to google 'Kimi Räikkönen' for the Finn's hobbies and interest. Apart from racing, Kimi apparently likes ice hockey and snowboarding. But Sebastian isn't good at them at all. He doesn't even know how to play ice hockey. The German is more of a football guy. But on the bright side, the Finn shares the same interest of motorbikes with him. He googles more and smiles when he found out Kimi likes dogs too. That's nice to know.

 

It is 9 pm and Sebastian is already at the pub, punctual as always. But he is rather surprised that Kimi comes on time too. Both of them are wearing black, which might be a good sign. He smiles to the Finn and starts with a Finnish conversation. He uses all his knowledge of Finland to impress Kimi, with topics ranging from the culture, food, to Finnish music. Kimi seems to be interested in the topics and that is a good sign. The Finn replies more often but still, there is no smile from the Iceman.

 

"Hey, I heard you like ice hockey," Sebastian says. 

 

"Yeah. You like ice hockey too?" Kimi responds.

 

"Nah. I'm more of a football fan," Sebastian replies.

 

"Oh." Kimi utters.

 

Dammit. Sebastian curses silently by himself. He should have come up with something they have in common. But he couldn't remember what he googled earlier. The German glances around the room and notices the television is showing a badminton game so he quickly blurts out, "And badminton."

 

"Badminton?" Kimi responds with a slightly perplexed look. Sebastian doesn't even know why he said badminton. He doesn't play it. He doesn't even know how to play the game. But Kimi looks interested in badminton so he decides to pretend that he does.

 

"Yeah! Badminton. I'm really good at it. I'm as good as him!" said the young driver. He points his finger to the television screen. Kimi gives him a nod and continues to drink. Sebastian changes the topic and continues to talk. The German is too immersed in the topic, not realising Kimi is drinking non-stop the whole time. When he stops talking and hopes for a response from Kimi, the Finn is already drunk. Sebastian shakes the Finn and tries to get the latter into his senses, but Kimi is too drunk to respond. Suddenly, a hand smacks on Sebastian's shoulder and it shocks the German. He turns around and sees Danny and a few of his mechanics.

 

"Forget it, Seb! He won't smile!" said Danny. He and the other mechanics begin to laugh at him. 

 

"I still have 12 days." the young driver sneers.

 

"Yeah, 12 more days to see you in a dress," Danny replies and the others mechanics burst into laughter.

 

Sebastian looks at Kimi and groans. This isn't working and he needs to come up with new ideas. Fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is supposed to be a one-shot but where's the fun in that? ;)


	2. Taking Chances

"Knock knock!" Sebastian says.

 

"What?" Kimi replies.

 

"It's a knock-knock joke. I say knock knock and you'll say who's there." Sebastian explains. He continues, "Knock knock!"

 

"Who's there?" Kimi responds.

 

"Cow." Sebastian says.

 

"Cows can't talk." Kimi says.

 

"Well, this cow can talk," Sebastian replies.

 

"That's creepy," Kimi answers.

 

Sebastian buries his head in his hands and grunts. Kimi doesn't seem to get his jokes. The German had tried puns. He tried impersonations. He tried speaking in different accents. But Kimi didn't seem amused to any of them. Judging by Kimi's response, Sebastian suspects the Finn still hasn't recovered from the hangover. He tries another shot with a new joke. When the German thought he nail it this time, a phone call interrupts the two drivers. Kimi picks up the phone and replies with a nonchalant tone. When the Ferrari driver ends the call, he excuses himself. But Sebastian doesn't want it to end before he could make Kimi laugh. He quickly grabs Kimi's arm, asks the Finn if he could tag along. Kimi stares at him for 2 seconds, before he utters,

 

"Sure. Why not?"

 

Sebastian's smile spreads widely. As he is going out from the room, he receives a message from his trainer Tommi, reminding him about the workout session on 7am. Sebastian winces after reading the message. Dammit. He has totally forgotten about the workout. But he just promised Kimi to go to the Finn's place. The young driver doesn't know if he ever gets another chance. He looks at Kimi, and the Ferrari driver stares at him, probably waiting for his response. Sebastian slips his phone back into his pocket and smiles. Guess he just have to skip workout today.

 

As Sebastian is walking at the corridor towards the lobby with Kimi, the German spots his trainer walking towards his direction. The young driver gasps and quickly hides behind the giant pillar. He peeks from the pillar to see if the coast is clear. He glances left and right, but Tommi is nowhere to be found. His trainer probably has walk past without noticing him. The German lets out a relief. He lowers his hat and tip toe at the lobby, making sure he doesn't get recognised. When he thinks that everything is going according to his plan, the young driver is shocked by a voice from behind. 

 

"Sebastian Vettel! Stand right where you are!"

 

Sebastian stops and gulps. He recognises that familiar voice. It is his trainer Tommi calling him. And judging from the tone, it isn't a good one. He winces and slowly turns to the back, where he could see Tommi's arms are crossed. The trainer's face doesn't look pretty at all.

 

"Running away from training again?" the trainer continues. 

 

"Ah ha ha... No! Of course not! I just want to grab some juice." Sebastian replies while waving his hands. 

 

"There is room service for that," Tommi responds with a nonchalant tone. 

 

"Oh, I don't wanna bother people for little stuff like that," Sebastian tries to explain.

 

"Well, okay. Actually a need a boost too. Let's go together," says Tommi. He grabs Sebastian's shoulder and walks towards the cafe. Sebastian turns his head around and he could see Kimi standing at the middle of the lobby, staring at him. He turns his head back to the front and winces.  _Gosh. Kimi is probably going to hate me._

 

Sebastian isn't able to run away the whole morning as Tommi is watching him like a hawk. The trainer's eyes are fixed to him, making sure the young driver doesn't have a chance to flee away from the workout session. When Sebastian is given some time to rest, the German picks up his phone and scrolls through his phonebook. He scrolls and scrolls until the letter K and stops. He smacks his hand against his head when he realises he doesn't have Kimi's number. _Great. Just great._  How is he going to contact Kimi now? He curses by himself for his stupidity. What kind of idiot doesn't ask for somebody's phone number?

 

Sebastian pulls some strings from his contact list and somehow he manages to get the information of Kimi's accommodation. As he has the afternoon off, he uses the chance to meet Kimi. The German glances to the hotel and takes a deep breath before marching into the elevator. He was told that Kimi is staying at room 307. When he knocks the door, an old woman opens the door, looks at him with a blank stare. Sebastian realises it is the wrong room and apologises to the old lady before sheepishly leaving the doorstep. As he grunts by himself, wondering if he was put on a prank. He goes down to the lobby and notices the reception counter. It sparks an idea. Maybe he could ask for Kimi's room number from the reception. He gives his best swag and charm the receptionist for Kimi's room number, just to be refused by the receptionist.

  

"I'm Sebastian Vettel. You know, the F1 driver. We are friends." Sebastian tells the receptionist.

 

The woman looks at him with a perplexed expression and continues, "I'm sorry, sir. As I've said, we can't reveal the guest's room number."

 

Sebastian closes his eyes and sighs. How is he going to find Kimi now? Just as the young driver is about to give up, he overheard a couple of Ferrari staffs mention about Kimi shooting a commercial for the sponsors. He perks his ears and leans closer to get more information about the shoot. After getting some help from Waze, he reaches the destination. As he is about to get in, the young driver is stopped by the security guards.

 

"Pass please." the man says.

 

"Pass?" Sebastian asks. He continues, "Ah. I'm looking for Kimi. Kimi Räikkönen."

 

"Yeah. That's what they all say. No admittance except authorised personnel." says the guard.

 

The security guards are very strict with their policies. Sebastian tried pleading, bribing, threatening the guards, but they are not moved by it. The day goes from bad to worst when Sebastian's phone chooses to ring at this time. He picks up the phone and it is from his race engineer. There will be a meeting later this evening and everyone is required to attend. Oh great.

 

Sebastian spends the whole evening pondering on his bet. He has no idea how the meeting went. When the meeting finally ends after 2 hours of babbling from the top management, Sebastian goes to hotel restaurant with the mechanics. The mechanics let loose by telling some jokes to each other, releasing all the stress from the meeting.

 

"You know who is Kimi Räiķkönen's mother?" One of the machanics Joey asks.

 

The other mechanics attempts to answer but none of them answers correctly. So Joey reveals the answer. "Ice queen! Get it?"

 

"Oh, come on. You guys are so mean." Sebastian replies. He knows that Joey is refering the ice queen's cold personality to Kimi and the German isn't amused by it.

 

"Oh, but you know what's funnier? Seeing Seb in a dress!" says Danny.

 

The whole crew is laughing their ass off, filling the room with laughter. Sebastian crosses his arms and pouts. He curls his hands into ball, trying to control his anger. But Danny is right. If he doesn't get Kimi to smile, he will be wearing a dress. Time is ticking and it doesn't look good for the young driver. And he doesn't have a plan B.


	3. A New Friend

Sebastian fiddles around with his fork, playing with the bacon and eggs on his plate. He is wondering how to meet Kimi again before the racing weekend. Every day is crucial to him right now, especially after a missed appointment with the Ferrari driver. Kimi must have been disappointed in him and he has to mend their relationship fast. There are only 11 days left in the bet but he hasn't made much progress. As the young driver takes a bite of the scrambled egg, his phone rings and he picks up the phone. It is a message from an unknown number. He opens up the message and it looks like this.

 

_Hey, it's Kimi. Wanna play badminton? - Kimi_

 

Sebastian nearly fell down from his chair after reading the message. Kimi Räikkönen is messaging him. Not in a million years he believes he would receive a message from the Ferrari star. This is too good to be true. He rubs his eyes and read the message again. It is indeed written the name Kimi. Sebastian calls the number from that message just to check if it's Kimi. Besides, he also needs to explain himself for backing out from their hangout session yesterday. When the receiver picks up the phone, the person on the other line is indeed Kimi. Sebastian could recognise the Finn's monotone voice. Judging by the answer, Kimi seems cool about yesterday's incident. It's all good.

 

Kimi promises Sebastian to meet up the next day at the hotel lobby after the Ferrari meeting. Sebastian arrives the lobby 5 minutes ahead of the promised time, just like a typical German would. He feels giddy about the meetup, like a 10-year-old that is about to hop on the scariest ride in town. But the meeting went a bit too long than expected. Sebastian has waited for Kimi for half an hour but the Finn is nowhere to be found. Sebastian has called Kimi at least 5 times, but the Finn didn't pick up the phone. However Sebastian did remember Kimi mentioning the meeting venue, so he thought of going there to see if Kimi is still there. The young driver goes to the 5th floor, the conference room where the Ferrari team have their meeting. The environment is quiet, with doors closed and not a single soul at the hallway. Sebastian creeps to the front door of the conference room, reach for the door knob but withdraws the next second. It would probably be rude of him to open the door if the meeting is still on. So he leans himself to the door, ear sticking on the pine wood door to probe on the other side of the door. He could hear voices from the other side, but he couldn't grasp the conversation that is going on.

 

"Hey, what are you doing there?"

 

Sebastian could hear a man's voice shouting at the corridor. The voice shocks the young driver, making him fumble at the door. Sebastian turns around and sees a tall man with black suit walking towards him with a furious face. He gasps and starts to run but the man runs faster than him. The black suit man grabs Sebastian and pins him down the floor. Sebastian's racquet is broken during the process. The young driver struggles at the floor, trying to get away from the black suit man but fails. The man is too strong for him. He is then brought into the conference room, where all eyes are focused on him as soon they enter the room. Sebastian doesn't like the eyes that are looking at him. He has always loved being in the center of the attention, but certainly not in this way. He's legs are weak and it is going to collapse if he is not held by the black suit man.

 

"Hey! Aren't you that guy from Toro Rosso? Why are you here? Are you spying on us?" One of the men says.

 

"He was eavesdropping at the door,  looking very suspicious too." the black suit guy adds.

 

"No no no! I'm not a spy!" Sebastian replies, shaking his head vigorously. But the people in the room are not impressed with his answer, making disgusted faces to him. They start to whisper with each other, eyes darting to Sebastian from time to time.

 

"Let him go! He's my friend."

 

A voice comes out of nowhere and everybody else stops talking. They turn their heads to the direction of that voice. They could see Kimi folding his arms at the back of the room, looking annoyed with the situation. He pierces his eyes to the black suit man, signaling the guy to let Sebastian go. Sebastian eyes are glowing when he sees Kimi comes forward and takes him away from the room. He is almost in tears to Kimi's words. Kimi actually considers him a friend. A friend.

 

"Thank you! Thank you for trusting me!" Sebastian exclaims. He wraps Kimi with his arms as tight as he could, not noticing the Finn suffocating in the process. When the young driver pulls away from the bear hug, Kimi coughs a few times before he starts talking with his lips slightly curl upward.

 

"Well I don't believe they would send a noob to spy on us." the Ferrari driver says.

 

Sebastian isn't sure that's a compliment or a tease or an insult from the Ferrari driver. Whatever that is, he is thankful to Kimi for bailing him out. Kimi glances to the floor and notices a broken badminton racquet. He picks up the racquet, looking sympathetic with the equipment. 

 

"I'm sorry they broke your racquet." Says the Ferrari driver.

 

"Ah. It's okay." Sebastian replies.

 

"No, it's not. I'll take full responsibility on this. Come on, let's get you a new one." Kimi says.

 

Sebastian feels a bit embarrassed that Kimi is buying him a new racquet. It wasn't Kimi who broke the racquet, and the racquet wasn't even his to begin with. Sebastian borrowed it from one of his mechanics. It is probably a cheap one because they didn't want to lend the nice ones, fearing the young driver will break it. Sebastian knows he shouldn't let Kimi buy him a racquet, but somehow Kimi's sincerity melts his heart and he actually wants the Ferarri driver to buy him the racquet. 

 

They enter a local sporting shop that has a nice selection of sporting equipment and apparel. Sebastian spots a football and couldn't resist to juggle it. Kimi looks at the young driver and couldn't help to chuckle. The two drivers then head to the racquet section to select the badminton racquet. There are plenty to choose from, but Sebastian doesn't know how to choose one. Kimi is the one choosing one for him. It is light, has a nice grip and it is in a nice ruby red colour. Sebastian likes it very much. They ended up buying two racquets but Sebastian insists on paying for the second racquet. He simply couldn't let Kimi pay for two racquets. He even makes Kimi believe that he is buying the second racquet for his sister as a birthday present. Sebastian gives the second racquet to his mechanic Danny and the young driver apologizes for breaking the original racquet. He is ready for some scolding but Danny is more than happy to get a new racquet. _Hmm..._   _It must be a really good racquet._ Sebastian thinks.

 

Sebastian heads to his hotel room and grabs red racquet, spinning it in circles while gazing it on his bed. He smiles silly to the racquet. He is keeping this one for sure. His thoughts are interrupted when the phone rings and he pick up the phone.

 

_Hey Seb, wanna play badminton on Friday? - Kimi_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice something? *wink wink*


	4. The Silence

Sebastian giggles at the phone like a little girl whenever he receives a message from Kimi. The two of them have been texting each other the whole day about basically everything. Everything from motorcycles to social welfare. They even poke fun of the politics in the F1 circus. The more Sebastian chats with Kimi, the more he realises his similarities with the Ferrari driver. Both of them love kids and they are pretty much kids at heart. The two joke and banter among themselves like two teenagers. Judging by the response, Kimi seems to enjoy the conversation. The Finn uses more emoticons as the conversation progresses, thanks to Sebastian. The German is actually very proud of his influence to Kimi.

 

Sebastian has forgotten that Kimi is his rival and he speaks to the Ferrari driver like a family member. He concerns deeply how Kimi thinks of him. Every sentence he types on the phone, he would hesitate to press the send button, wondering how Kimi would react to it. If Kimi doesn't reply within 10 minutes, he will start to worry, wondering if he has said something offensive. An hour has passed since he sent the message, where he called Kimi fat. But Sebastian didn't mean it that way. He just said it as a banter. However, the problem with texting is, there's no body language to tell. You'll never know how the receiver feels on the other side and that's daunting. Sebastian tosses and turns on his bed, feeling bad about calling Kimi fat. He curses himself for his stupidity. He texts Kimi again but there is no response from the Finn. The young driver is tempted to send another message but he is worried that Kimi might find him annoying. The German just keeps saying sorry to the phone until he falls asleep.

 

_Hey, I'm sorry. I don't mean to call you fat. It was a stupid joke. D': - Seb_

 

The sun pierces Sebastian's eyes through the window. The young driver opens his eyes and realises that it is already morning. He feels like he didn't get much sleep the night before. The young driver checks his phone, but the only notification he got was from Candy Crush. He sighs deeply by himself and tosses the phone on the bed. The German stares at the ceiling and wonders how he could fix this mess. Tommi is calling him from the hallway but he doesn't bother. When the phone finally rings, he frantically reaches for it. It is an incoming message.

 

_Hey, sorry I fell asleep yesterday :D No worries, I know that was a joke. - Kimi_

 

Sebastian's eyes glow and his smile spread widely when he reads the message. Kimi wasn't angry at him. That's good to know.

 

_By the way, you still remember our badminton game, right? - Kimi_

 

_Of course! Don't be late! :D - Seb_

 

_I won't for sure ;) - Kimi_

 

***

 

8-0 is the current scoreline in Kimi and Sebastian's badminton game, with Kimi leading the score by 8 points ahead of the German. Sebastian is getting anxious for not getting a single point from the Finn. His performance is getting worse as the game progresses. Not that he is good at the first place, but being this bad in front of someone that you want to impress is the last thing you want to do. It is now Sebastian's time to serve. The German hand is shaking as he serves for the point. He swings his racket but it misses the shuttlecock. The shuttlecock falls to the floor and Kimi starts to giggle from the other side of the court.

 

"Hey!"

 

Sebastian crosses his arms, pouts at Kimi. Kimi ignores him and continues to laugh with arms folding the tummy. Suddenly, Sebastian realises something different with Kimi. Kimi is laughing. He realises Kimi can laugh. He manages to make Kimi laugh. It is possible after all. The German lets out a foolish smile at the Finn.

 

"So you do know how to laugh," Sebastian says.

 

"Of course, I do. Everybody laughs." Kimi replies.

 

"Oh I bet the guys wouldn't believe this," Sebastian says as he chuckles until he recalls the bet.

 

_Right! The bet!_

 

Sebastian's mouth hangs wide when he remembers his bet with the mechanics. He realises he has won the bet but there aren't any witnesses here. None of his co-workers are present today. If he doesn't have any proof of Kimi laughing, it doesn't count. But he could certainly record it with his phone. The German sprints to the locker and takes out his phone. He rushes back to the badminton court and tap to the video function. The young driver looks at Kimi but the Finn is staring at him with a perplexed face. The Finn is not laughing anymore. 

 

"Can you do that again?" Sebastian asks.

 

"Do what?" Kimi responses.

 

"Laugh." Sebastian says.

 

Kimi looks at him with a perplexed face and utters, "You're weird."

 

"Smile, Kimi!" 

 

Sebastian tries his best to make Kimi smile. He makes some funny faces and tickles the Finn but the latter is immune to them. Kimi folds his arms and stares at Sebastian with an irritated face, probably annoyed with Sebastian's desperate attempts. The Finn grabs Sebastian's phone and says,

 

"Stop it! Are you going to make those stupid internet memes?"

 

"No, it's not like that! Kimi! Kimi!" Sebastian quickly responds. He tries to explain to the Finn but the latter doesn't listen. The Finn doesn't believe his words and walks away. Sebastian chases the Finn and frantically explains his reasoning. Kimi pierces his eyes to him, signalling him to go away. Sebastian has no choice but to let the Finn go and he sighs deeply. Tears start to foam in his eyes. He couldn't believe it. He has single handed ruin this friendship.

 

There are only left 5 days to go before the bet ends. But Sebastian doesn't care about the bet anymore. He just wants to be Kimi's friend. And he reckons that he needs more than 50 days to mend this relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow. I can't believe it took me so long to write this! Anyway, next chapter is the last chapter! \O/
> 
> This fic is partly inspired by my friendship with someone here who so happens to be a Finn! :D (And yes, I realised she read the 1st 3 chapters, not that I expect her to, but that's kinda cool :D)


	5. The Truth

It's less than 48 hours before the bet ends. Sebastian leans his head to the pillar and whimpers. He has run out of ideas on how to fix his relationship with Kimi. He has tried calling the Finn, leaving text and voice messages along the way but there is no response from Kimi. The young driver even went to the Ferrari's team hotel to find Kimi, but he was kicked out before he could even see the Ferrari driver. He has told Kimi about the bet through the text messages but he also explained to Kimi that he genuinely wants to be his friend. He feels gutted for losing Kimi this way as all those things he did comes straight from his heart. And when Kimi never replies to any of the messages it breaks the young driver's heart.

 

"Seb! Seb!"

 

Sebastian feels a hand pats on his shoulder and it brings the young driver back to reality. It is Tommi who has been calling him. The trainer looks at the young driver with sympathetic eyes and then shakes his head. He says,

 

"I presume it's about Räikkönen?"

 

"How... how did you know that?" Sebastian puzzles.

 

"Please. Everyone knows about the bet. Even your boss knows that. And he bets against you too." The trainer talks and flashes a smile.

 

"Huh. Let me guess, you're with them too?" Sebastian replies with a snark.

 

"Nope. Actually I bet on you. Because I believe you, Sebastian Vettel can make the difference."

 

Tommi points a finger to the young driver and looks at him with stern eyes when he says that. Sebastian is surprised to hear Tommi's words. He didn't expect anyone to support him, but he truly appreciates his trainer's gesture. However, Sebastian feels bad as he is going to disappoint his only supporter. He doubts he is able to make Kimi smile as the Finn doesn't even want to talk to him at this point. And 2 days isn't enough to fix that. But looking at the bright side, at least he has a partner to be humiliated with on Friday.

 

***

 

Tommi's words didn't get to motivate Sebastian. The young driver feels gloomy during the press conference, drawing circles with his finger the whole time. He glances to the right, where Kimi is sitting at the other end. The Finn looks back at him too with a nonchalant face. Sebastian looks away and sighs. He could imagine the Ferrari driver being furious at him after knowing that the German approaches the Finn because of a bet. But Sebastian wants to approach Kimi again to explain, at least face to face, for the last time. He waits for the press conference to end before he gets up and walk towards the Finn. He bumps into several people in the process, and through the crowd, he finds Kimi walking towards his direction as well. When the two meets path, they stand at the platform facing each other, eyes focus on the other party.  Kimi moves one step forward and whispers to Sebastian's ear,

 

"We need to talk."

 

The two head to a car and drive to a remote area of the city. Kimi is focusing on driving the car, not utter a single word throughout the journey. Sebastian's heartbeat rises and his hands become sweaty. The German pushes the air vent for some air conditioner, trying to cool himself down. He wonders what Kimi wants to talk about. Whatever it is, Kimi is willing to talk and that is already a good start. Sebastian is well prepared for some scolding, but hopefully, the Finn's anger will fade away after this. After a long drive, Kimi parks the car at the side and starts the conversation. 

 

"I'm sorry I didn't reply your messages. My phone was spoilt on Saturday. It was not until last night I read your messages." says the Finn. "Thank you for telling me the truth."

 

"I'm sorry. I really am." Sebastian replies. He doesn't know what to say apart from sorry. He tries to read Kimi's body language in order to make his next move. But Kimi is Kimi. The Ferrari driver always have the same nonchalant face and it is hard to read his emotions. The two remain silent until Kimi talks again.

 

"I like you." 

 

Sebastian's mouth hangs wide when he heard that. He couldn't believe his own ears. After all the disasters, Kimi actually likes him? Kimi Räikkönen, the famous Formula 1 driver who doesn't care about shits actually likes him? He couldn't understand this at all. The Finn flashes a shy smile and continues,

 

"You're honest, funny, we're very similar and I like that. I feel comfortable when I'm with you."

 

Sebastian could see Kimi's warm smile and soft green eyes when the Finn confesses his feelings to him. The young driver couldn't resist his own feelings anymore. He leans over, grabs Kimi's neck and presses his lips to the Ferrari driver. He could feel an adrenaline rushing through his veins, fireworks popping out in the background with the Etta James song 'At Last' singing in his head. So this is what he has longed for. The warmth of Kimi's mouth. He realises he has fallen in love with Kimi. That is why he has been acting so nervously in front of the Ferrari driver. But the kiss doesn't last long as Kimi pushes him away. The Ferrari driver blinks his eyes a few times and looks at Sebastian with a perplexed face. Feeling awkward, Sebastian apologizes and leaves the car promptly. He sprints to a corner and bury his face with his hands. He realises he has made the whole situation into a complicated mess. What was he thinking? Kimi is a married man and probably isn't even into guys. How is he going to face the Finn for the rest of the season?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this is the last chapter but I've decided to split it into two chapters so yeah :D


	6. The Final Verdict

"Seb! Seb! Wake up!"

 

Sebastian forces himself to open his eyes and he could see the sun rising from the window. Tommi is kneeling beside him, waking him up. It's already Friday morning, the day of driving practice. It is also the final day of the Iceman bet. Sebastian feels an excruciating pain and a little woozy from his hangover. When he gets up, he could feel stiffness from his back. The young driver realises he has slept on the floor the whole night. There is a dozen of empty beer bottles scattered on the floor. The bed sheets and the pillow are lying on the floor together with some of his belongings. Tommi is yapping to him but he couldn't register a single word from his trainer.

 

Sebastian recalls yesterday's incident. He has regret for acting so impulse and wishing all these happenings are just a dream. But it isn't. He did kiss Kimi Räikkönen. He still remembers the Finn's breath, the taste of the sloppy tongue and the soft thin lips vividly. He carves for that feeling but he sadly he probably won't get it anymore.

 

Tommi hands him a drink and he gulps it down before knowing what the drink it. It tastes awful. The young driver sticks his tongue out and wrinkles his nose as a response. But he feels better after the drink. He could hear sounds of people chatting loudly in the hallway from his room. Sebastian is puzzled as it is an unusual situation for him. Usually in the mornings it is very peaceful but today it sounds like a marketplace. But it doesn't take long for him to figure out what happen as someone opens the door.

 

"Hey, Seb! Today's the day!"

 

It is Danny smirking at the doorstep with a number of mechanics accompanying him. Joey even holds a red dress and a pair of shoes. All of them have evil smiles on their faces waiting to see Sebastian embarrass himself. Sebastian wanted to tell them that he managed to make the Iceman smile but no one would believe him as he doesn't have any evidence on it. Technically Sebastian still has three hours to prove them wrong. In normal circumstances the young driver will push to his limits but today he doesn't have the motivation. At this point, three hours don't make much difference to him. 

 

The machanics chant and whistle to the young driver, teasing him by waving the dress. Sebastian grunts to the mechanics while snatching the red dress and the pair of 3 inches high heels from them. He just wants to get over with it. When everyone else leave the room, he looks at the red dress, trying to figure out how to wear it. He is quite surprised that the mechanics are able to find a dress that comes in this size. It will look sexy for a woman but it certainly not for Sebastian. The young driver slips himself into the dress without unzipping the dress and ends up stuck in the middle. He forces himself into the dress and he could hear sounds of a ripping fabric.

 

"Fuck!"

 

Sebastian winces and curses by himself, fumble with the dress, trying to get it into the right place. He could hear Tommi talking in Finnish with a familiar voice at the hallway. The young driver stops struggling with his dress to eavesdrop the conversation.

 

_Oh my god. It's Kimi._

 

He frantically try to remove the dress as fast as he could. He couldn't let Kimi see him in a dress. No way. The Finn will think he is a phycho or something. Sebastian could hear door knocking sounds and it makes him anxious. He shouts the words 'No' and 'Wait a second' but person on the other side continues to knock. Once the knocking stops, there is a click sound from the door. Sebastian realises he has forgotten to lock the door.

 

_Fuck._

 

The door opens and it is Tommi and Kimi at the other side. Sebastian is shock with horror. He screams like a woman, at the same time trying to hide his private parts. He looks around and manage to grab the blanket but it is too late. Kimi has seen everything.

 

Kimi eyes widen and then starts to giggle. He bursts into laughter, squinting a tear or two while rolling his body to the wall. The mechanics walks into the room out of curiousity, and their mouth are hanging wide when they see Kimi laughing like a mad man. Some of them even come forward to see if it is really the Iceman. Tommi claps his hands with a grin on his face. The mechanics turns their attention to the trainer.

 

"Sebastian wins the bet. He has successfully made Kimi Räikkönen smile."

 

"Well... so what? The game is over." One of the mechanics says.

 

"Technically it isn't over. There are still 2 hours and 26 minutes before the whole thing ends." Tommi replies while reading the time from his watch.

 

"But... but Seb has surrendered." Joey says.

 

"Really? Did he say that?" Tommi counters the mechanic's statement with a grin.

 

"No way!" Another mechanic says.

 

The mechanics start to whisper with each other with horrified faces, blaming each other for starting such a stupid bet. Sebastian finally cracks a smile when Tommi winks to him. The trainer ushers the mechanics out from the room as Kimi comes forward and drapes a towel on Sebastian's shoulder. When the room left the two drivers, the Ferrari star smiles to him and gives a kiss on his cheek before leaving. Sebastian is stunted by Kimi's action. He touches his face and he could feel a wet mark that the Finn left. The young driver smiles silly by himself.

 

***

 

Sebastian finds himself a nice spot to sit with Kimi. The two clink their beer bottles and laughing their asses off watching a bunch of men making clumsy runs in dresses and high heels. Sebastian glances to Kimi and lean his head on palm. He looks away and says,

 

"I like your smile."

 

There is a moment of silence before he hears a reply,

 

"I like yours too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the end already! Thank you everyone that reads and love this fic. I feel very proud of this work and hopefully there are more inspirations for this ship :D

**Author's Note:**

> I made up the names of the mechanics. I obviously don't know the names of Seb's co workers :D The timeline for this story is 2007.
> 
> Well, I wanted to diverse myself to another fandom. This is my first F1 fanfiction and I hope you will like it. Simi is the only bromance I ship in F1 :D (Well, okay I like Felipe Massa/Rob Smedley too but they are not a driver/driver ship) Simi is too adorable and not even rivalry could stop them :D
> 
> Thank you very much for reading this story. If you like it please give me a kudos. Please tell me anything in the comments and I will try my very best to improve. :) every kudos, comment, subscription and bookmark means the world to me. Thank you. :D
> 
> Yeah, you can follow me on [Tumblr](http://fearlesskiki.tumblr.com/) and [join the FBD Book Club!](https://footballblogsdirectory.tumblr.com/post/160746377878/welcome-to-the-fbd-book-club-this-is-a-place-to)


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